New prime lens - help understanding settings.

[hillwalkinggirl]

My new Nikon 24mm f2.8 D Af lens arrived today, and it seems to work quite well from the not very inspiring photos I took in a rainy wet garden. I'm using it on a D40X so have to Manual Focus. I'm trying to get my head aroud hyperfocal technique - that's todays project, but I am not sure what all the numbers on the dials actually represent. How do I read these dials? There is one with a white line at the centre and 11,16,22 to either side, and then a little window with infinity to 0.3m. Sorry this is such a basic question but I can't find anywhere that answers it clearly.

 

[Flashman]

THIS hopefully might answer your question quite well!

Flashy

 

[Lufbrarunner]

It's a depth of field scale. If your aperture is set at say f/16 and you focus on a point, then look at the distance that line up with each 16 that should tell you the closest and farthest distances that will be in focus.

 

[kevin_c]

THIS may be useful

 

[hillwalkinggirl]

THIS hopefully might answer your question quite well!

Flashy

Thanks Flashman, that was a really useful link. Now I understand what the little window was about. My nifty fifty dial just turns to the focus distance and that is what got me confused. I also couldn't understand why it only had 11,16, and 22 but I suppose this is just to give you the hyperfocal values for small apertures, so for larger apertures I presume I will need to use my hyperfocal distance chart. There certainly is a lot to learn, still it's a nice way to spend a rainy day.

 

[hillwalkinggirl]

It's a depth of field scale. If your aperture is set at say f/16 and you focus on a point, then look at the distance that line up with each 16 that should tell you the closest and farthest distances that will be in focus.

Thanks namllihs.

THIS may be useful

Thanks Kevin. I downloaded the software for DOF master yesterday and have printed out an hyperfocal distance chart, and how to make a calculator. Not tried the blue peter yet, but I was just confused by the little window on my new lens. I hadn't come across that before. Just need to put it into practice now.